A former Conroe Independent School District police officer and a second Conroe ISD employee are both accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a student, officials said Monday.

Former Conroe ISD Sgt. Christopher Lee Sutton and Brian Joseph Ortiz, an athletic referee employed by the school district, were arrested Monday and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, officials said.

The investigation began Feb. 18, when the Conroe ISD police chief called the Conroe Police Department to report the allegation that Sutton, a 13-year veteran of the department, was having an illicit relationship with a male student, officials said.

Ortiz, who was hired by the district in September 2011, also is accused of having a sexual relationship with the same student, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Monday.

If convicted of the second-degree felony, Sutton and Ortiz could spend up to 20 years in jail and pay a $10,000 fine.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to contact Conroe police at 936-522-3215.

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